On this day, we will welcome new members. We'll distribute the "reverse offering," sending gifts out into the community to be out to creative use. And we'll reflect on what it means to invest with no certain outcome. To plant seeds, not knowing what the spring holds. On this auspicious day, let's reflect on our relationship with mystery, and how we cast our line into it.

As we take up March’s theme of resilience, we start by exploring the role of playfulness in bouncing back from Life’s challenges. What is the role of play in your life? How might play help you to be more okay with Life? How playful are we as a congregation? How might we play our way into even more purpose and passion at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike?

Please join us for for our Christmas Eve service. We'll start with music in our sanctuary at 4 pm, followed by our Christmas Eve service at 5 pm and then enjoy the cookie potluck in our social hall (bring your favorite Christmas cookies to share) at 7 pm.

DOE's current proposal for a new disposal site for waste from ongoing cleanups, and some concerns that have been raised regarding the DOE proposal, will be the subject of Ellen Smith's presentation at the next Lunch with the League. The event will be held at 11:45 a.m. onTuesday, December6, in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Smith is on the staff of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Environmental Sciences Division. She is a member of the Oak Ridge City Council where she serves are Mayor Pro Tem.

"Although I am employed by UT-Battelle at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, I am not speaking as an ORNL employee. Instead, I am speaking as a citizen with a professional background in waste management and groundwater. I have been engaged with the topic of Oak Ridge waste for several decades from a variety of perspectives as a Lab employee, citizen, member of environmental advisory boards, and elected city leader," said Smith.

Smith earned a master's degree in Resources Management from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and a bachelor's degree in geology from Carleton College - Northfield, Minnesota.

Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, Lunch with the League is open to the public. There is no cost to attend and reservations are not needed. Box lunches will be available starting at 11:30 a.m. on a first-come basis for $8, or you may bring your own. Coffee and tea are provided.

When you skin your knee, healing starts almost at once. When you lose a loved one, the same is true. The process of love is always operative within and around us. But it can be harder to chart grief than a skinned knee. Let's talk about how we live through and survive what we never wanted. Let's talk about how healing happens.

This Thanksgiving Sunday we partake of our annual bread communion and give thanks for the bounty in our lives. We also shine a light on lives lived on the margins of our culture, as we observe Transgender Remembrance Day, and hear from those who are standing firm at Standing Rock in North Dakota.

Prayer is often seen narrowly, as making a wish and expecting it to be realized. Or as talking to an imaginary friend. At least, these are things that a skeptic might say. But is there a way to engage prayer from what some would call “post-critical naiveté?” Let’s ponder prayer in a new light, and consider what it can and can’t do.

As we do, we’ll clarify our own relationship to one another, and the cosmos.

Human sex trafficking has been defined as modern day slavery, a travesty that is hidden in plain sight. It happens in every zip code and crosses all socio-economic, educational, and racial lines. Tennessee is no exception.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (T.B.I.) Special Agent-in-Charge Margie Quin will give her perspective on human sex trafficking in Tennessee at the next Lunch with the League on Tuesday, November 1. The program will be at 12 noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Quin will discuss what’s being done to combat human sex trafficking in Tennessee. “We’re working toward helping victims of trafficking and taking these predators off the streets,” said Quin.

The US Department of Human Services defines sex trafficking as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act, in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion.

Quin received her B.S. in Criminology with a Minor in Communication from Auburn University and graduated from the 241st session of the F.B.I. National Academy. During her seventeen years with the T.B.I., her assignments include the Middle Tennessee Drug Division, Technical Services Unit and she was promoted in April of 2007 to Assistant Special Agent in Charge in the Criminal Intelligence Unit, housed within the Tennessee Fusion Center.

Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, Lunch with the League is open to the public. There is no cost to attend and reservations are not needed. Box lunches will be available starting at 11:30 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis for $8, or you may bring your own. Coffee and tea are provided.

Love Has Broken Down the Walls: Celebrating LGBTQ YouthTuesday, October 25 at 7:00 pmOak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church

Celebrating LGBTQ youth in East Tennessee and beyond, the program will feature stories and music, including the Knoxville Gay Men's Chorus, the MCC Knoxville Choir, the ORUUC Mighty Choir and Mighty House Band.

A $5.00 donation at the door will go to support the activities of the Gay Straight Alliances of Oak Ridge High School and Clinton High School.

The Book of Genesis and the Gospel of John both put forth notions of how the world began. In the last century, scientists have described another origin story, the Big Bang, that seems at odds with those familiar stories. Sometimes, people assume that these contradict each other. Do they? As we contemplate the cosmos, how can faith and science be reconciled, and even strengthen one another?

The ORUUC Blossom Angels group is hosting a fundraiser lunch to raise funds for the Blossom Center for Childhood Excellence.

The Blossom Center offers a “home-away-from-home” experience for children, whose parents are unavailable to care for them during any time of the day. Childcare is available around the clock (24/7)—including overnight care—all year round to enable parents to work second, third, and weekend shifts. Trained staff is on hand to provide care 24/7. Healthy home cooked meals are served all day long, in a clean and nurturing environment.

We will also be having a Plant Sale to raise funds for the Blossom Center. Ourplant sale October 9th will benefit the Blossom Center for Childhood Excellence. Do you have plants or pots you no longer want? Do you divide your perennials and then have nowhere to plant them? Donate them to our sale! We will also have manure donated from a farm and plants donated by local businesses.

Sunday, October 9, 10:00 AM"Reparations" - Rev.Jake Morrill leading the serviceThe Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur is a time for atonement, for making peace with the Holy, with loved ones, with those who you’ve injured. What about a whole society? Many African-Americans, and their allies, advocate for reparations. And what about others, injured in the process of making America? Native Americans, for instance? How do we live ethically in relationship to the past? How, in light of our national promises, do we begin again?

Climate activist Mary Headrick, M.D. will be coming to ORUUC to discuss the importance of both collective actions, and "next steps" attendees can take can take to effectively reduce our carbon footprint. Mary Headrick is a former Oak Ridger, ORNL computer scientist, physician and two time congressional candidate. She serves on the boards ofPhysicians for Social Responsibility - Tennessee Chapter, and the Harvey Broome Group of the Sierra Club.

Her discussion is scheduled to take place after Pot Luck in the Social Hall.

Sunday, October 2nd, 10:00 AM Service“Planting Seeds: Wildflower Sunday” Rev. Tandy SchefflerIn this time of the Jewish new year, we take up the question, “What needs weedingand what needs planting in our lives?” This service concludes in the church’s wildflower garden. Everyone is invited to bring wildflower seeds to scatter. This first Sunday in October marks the beginning of our3rd year at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. We honor the occasion with new beginnings in our lives and in our garden.

It's time for the ORUUC Rummage Sale! Saturday, September 17, from 9 am to 2 pm is the main sale. As always, there will be lots of great bargains in our sale. If you want to get an early shot at these bargains, check out the "Early Bird" sale on Friday, September 16

There wouldn’t be a Rummage Sale without your generous donations! But you can help us greatly reduce work for our volunteers by allowing us to decline some items that we cannot sell in our sale. Your help is needed to dispose of severely damaged items or anything that is wet from rain or floods, etc. with your trash, recycling or hazardous waste service...

Things we are unable to accept:

Anything that is wet from rain or floods, etc. or otherwise damaged.

Combustible fuel in any tanks or containers

Mattresses

Console stereos or TVs, big projection TVs, or any that are older than 5 years, are not working, and those missing knobs or buttons

Child car-seats

Baby cribs with a sliding side rail

Building materials, including paint and carpet remnants

Auto parts

Large appliances such as dishwashers, stoves and refrigerators, etc.

Pianos or organs

Slate-top pool tables

Safety helmets, including baseball, football, and cycling helmets

We’ll gratefully accept the following items in resalable condition:

Clothing & Linens: Washed, no tears, no stains, no mildew, no strong odors from cigarettes, pets or moth-balls. It would be helpful to fold clothing and put in clean trash bags.

Upholstered Furniture, Area Rugs: No significant tears or stains, no mildew or strong cigarette/pet odors.

Wood or Solid Furniture: Not broken or badly dented or water damaged, not missing any vital parts. Minor dents or scratches are acceptable.

Televisions: Flat screens, still in good working condition, less than 5 years old, with no missing nobs or buttons. Minor dents or scratches are acceptable. No big projection TVs or consoles.

Electronics: Still in good working condition stereo components and speakers, computers only with flat screen monitors.

Appliances: Only small, still in good working condition such as toasters and microwave ovens, mixers, etc. No missing knobs or buttons. Minor dents or scratches are acceptable.

It's time for the ORUUC Rummage Sale! The Preview Sale on Friday provides our "early bird" buyers to get first crack at the many wonderful items on sale. The Preview Sale starts at 6 pm on Friday, September 16. All prices are doubled during the preview sale.

There wouldn’t be a Rummage Sale without your generous donations! But you can help us greatly reduce work for our volunteers by allowing us to decline some items that we cannot sell in our sale. Your help is needed to dispose of severely damaged items or anything that is wet from rain or floods, etc. with your trash, recycling or hazardous waste service...

Things we are unable to accept:

Anything that is wet from rain or floods, etc. or otherwise damaged.

Combustible fuel in any tanks or containers

Mattresses

Console stereos or TVs, big projection TVs, or any that are older than 5 years, are not working, and those missing knobs or buttons

Child car-seats

Baby cribs with a sliding side rail

Building materials, including paint and carpet remnants

Auto parts

Large appliances such as dishwashers, stoves and refrigerators, etc.

Pianos or organs

Slate-top pool tables

Safety helmets, including baseball, football, and cycling helmets

We’ll gratefully accept the following items in resalable condition:

Clothing & Linens: Washed, no tears, no stains, no mildew, no strong odors from cigarettes, pets or moth-balls. It would be helpful to fold clothing and put in clean trash bags.

Upholstered Furniture, Area Rugs: No significant tears or stains, no mildew or strong cigarette/pet odors.

Wood or Solid Furniture: Not broken or badly dented or water damaged, not missing any vital parts. Minor dents or scratches are acceptable.

Televisions: Flat screens, still in good working condition, less than 5 years old, with no missing nobs or buttons. Minor dents or scratches are acceptable. No big projection TVs or consoles.

Electronics: Still in good working condition stereo components and speakers, computers only with flat screen monitors.

Appliances: Only small, still in good working condition such as toasters and microwave ovens, mixers, etc. No missing knobs or buttons. Minor dents or scratches are acceptable.

Maybe it seems that joy comes unbidden: a wave of delight, like the weather, or a bird that happens to land on our shoulder. But what if we had more choice, with relation to joy? What if we had some say in how much joy we could feel? What if joy wasn't something that happened to us, but something we might practice? Come one, come all. Let's reflect on this delicious possibility together!

A man walks into work and asks why the flags are at half-staff today. One of his co-workers says, “Take your pick.” In the face of so much pain and suffering in the world, joy can seem hard to come by. Or maybe even irreverent.But deep down in each one of us, there is a still small voice of a child looking for a little whimsy.Ministerial candidate Jon Coffee will be exploring the implications a little dose of whimsy might havefor our personal (and maybe even our spiritual) lives.

We gather from the East and the West, from the North and the South.We celebrate the gift of water as it dances through our lives, bringing hope, joy, transformation, and peace.We bring offerings of water that represent our own journeys, literal and figurative.

"Reduced to Joy" - Rev. Tandy SchefflerPoet Mark Nepo's 2013 book of Poetry, "Reduced to Joy," speaks of joy as a lifelong process of elimination. What gets in the way of knowing joy in your life? Where are you stuck in the muck, lost on the pathway to Joy. Come explore Joy, with the help of Mark Nepo.